1. Field of the Invention
The high capacity passenger transport apparatus of the present invention relates to a device for transporting passengers rapidly from one point to another, such as from the bottom of a ski run to the top thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the present day increasing popularity of recreational skiing, numerous different ski lift devices have been proposed for conveniently transporting a high rate of skiers up a ski run in relative comfort and with relative ease. Such efforts have led to the provision of high speed trams wherein 100 and even more skiers may be loaded into a single tram car and transported up the ski run at a rapid rate. Another very common form of transporting skiers up a slope is the provision of a plurality of independent chairs suspended from an endless cable supported above the terrain by support posts for conveyance of the skiers up the slope as the endless cable is advanced. Devices of this type suffer the shortcoming that the rate at which skiers can be transported up the slope is limited by the rate at which such skiers can be loaded at the bottom of the hill and unloaded at the top of the hill. Consequently, even though chair lifts of this type may have a high theoretical capacity rating, the true rating thereof may be far below such theoretical rating thereof because of the human limitation on loading and unloading rate, as further complicated by the unfortunate requirement that operation of such chair must be periodically suspended when a skier falls during loading or unloading thereof, a situation occurring much more frequently as the chair speed is increased. Further, any time a passenger without skis is to be unloaded from one of such chairs, advancement of the cable itself must be stopped, thus interrupting the transportation of skiers up the run. Those familiar with modern day ski areas will readily appreciate the numerous other instances wherein chairs must be stopped, as for instance for the loading of ski patrol tobaggans thereon for transportation up the hill, or for the loading of other equipment and necessities for transportation up the chair.
Efforts to overcome these shortcomings have led to the provision of gondolas which are also suspended from cables similar to that just described except that the gondolas themselves are suspended from trucks which may grip the cable for advancement therewith and which may be fed onto low speed tracks located at the bottom and top of the hill so such gondolas may be brought to a halt for loading and unloading of four to six passengers. Commonly, such gondolas are decelerated upon release from the main cable and after loading are reaccelerated to synchronize their speed with the main cable before being fed thereonto. Ski lifts incorporating chairs suspended from trucks of the type just described have also been proposed so such chairs may themselves be slowed down substantially for loading and unloading to thus enable the main cable to be operated at a higher rate of speed. Devices of this type have been installed at the ski resort at Mt. Snow, Vt. Ski lifts of this general type suffer the shortcoming that the capacity thereof is still restricted by the rate at which skiers may be loaded onto the chairs at the bottom of the hill and unloaded therefrom at the top of the hill. Consequently, even though the main cable may be operating at a high rate of speed, due to the inherent limitations in loading and unloading rate, the chairs will be spaced apart relatively great distances on the main cable, thus seriously limiting the number of skiers that may be transported up the run during any selected period of time.